LEGO reveals why Old Town isn’t a NINJAGO City set – and clarifies the modular buildings’ schedule
The LEGO designer behind 71861 The Old Town has revealed why it isn’t a NINJAGO City set, while also clarifying the schedule for the theme’s modular buildings.
The flagship LEGO NINJAGO 2026 set celebrates the theme’s 15th anniversary with a completely new and original design in 71861 The Old Town, and in doing so passes up the chance to add a new instalment to the ongoing NINJAGO City series (or even remake a classic set like 70751 Temple of Airjitzu). Expectations may not have been for a NINJAGO City set, though, with one eye on the presumed release schedule for that series.
Since returning in 2021 with 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens, the NINJAGO modular buildings have arrived every other year – first in 2023 with 71799 NINJAGO City Markets, then in 2025 with 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops. Assuming the designers stick to that schedule, the next one wouldn’t be due until 2027. But 71861 The Old Town designer Lee Chi Wing has now clarified that a new NINJAGO City set actually was a possibility for 2026.
“[It] was definitely something that was on the table in the very beginning, when we thought about, ‘What are we going to do for the D2C [direct-to-consumer] set this year?’” Lee told Bricks By Mind. “I think there is this misconception in the fan community that we have a schedule to NINJAGO City… we don’t. Every time it happens, it’s just because something happens.
“For instance, the 10th anniversary [for NINJAGO City Gardens], and then we had Dragons Rising coming up, so one of the big sets to draw people in [was NINJAGO City Markets]. And then Workshops was actually something where there was a suggestion in the team about exploring the possibility of making a smaller NINJAGO City set. So it’s never something that we plan out, like the Icons team would say ‘this year we definitely need another modular’.”
For Lee and the NINJAGO team, a new City set wasn’t out of the question simply because 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops had come along in 2025. But in his view, the direction 71861 The Old Town takes was infinitely more tantalising than any alternatives – even those currently being discussed within the NINJAGO fan community.
“Another option we thought about was remaking a certain set or doing a set of a location that has never been done before,” he added. “Everything that people have speculated about, we thought of it. But personally I really rooted for the direction we ended up with, which is to make a new original location, and there are several reasons to it.
“When I was first handed the brief of making the anniversary D2C, the way I approached it was similar to how I approached the Source Dragon of Motion, which was to look back and see what we have done and what people said about it. I think if you ask someone what is the most iconic NINJAGO set in the last 15 years, it would either be the Temple of Airjitzu or the first NINJAGO City. The way I see it, they are the most iconic because they’re the first of their kind – and that’s what I really wanted this model to be.”
Reaching for the iconic status of those two LEGO NINJAGO sets – 2015’s 70751 Temple of Airjitzu and 2017’s 70620 NINJAGO City – was nothing if not ambitious, but there were two key factors driving Lee in that direction: first, the way he reacted to those sets as a fan; and second, the opportunity to go above and beyond in celebrating NINJAGO’s 15th anniversary.
“I remember the moment back then when those products were revealed,” Lee continued. “I was just a LEGO fan, and I saw them and I was completely blown away. I wasn’t even like a hardcore NINJAGO fan, but to me, what they said was that NINJAGO is a really cool theme. It’s a theme that allows us to do products like the Temple of Airjitzu. You look around and there’s no other theme that would be able to pull off a D2C that looks like that.
“[It’s the] same with the first NINJAGO City. It was just out of left-field and you look at it like, ‘Wow, now I want to pay attention to the theme.’ And I think for the 15th anniversary it’s really important to recapture that sort of uniqueness to our centrepiece of the celebration.”
That focus on something unique for NINJAGO is essentially what determined the direction of 71861 The Old Town, not only pulling it away from the NINJAGO City framework but even the potential for a remake of a storied set (in true NINJAGO Legacy fashion).
“When we were talking about [whether or not] we should we do another NINJAGO City module, that already rubbed me the wrong way because this is supposed to be celebrating the franchise anniversary,” Lee said. “We should be celebrating what allows it to stay for 15 years, right? And to just do another one of something, not even necessarily NINJAGO City, but another remake of a set – all those ideas go down the same direction to me, which is it’s not a statement to show why NINJAGO is still here after 15 years.
“I also really wanted to make sure that this is a set that celebrates the franchise as a whole. So if we were to remake a certain model or to do a certain location only, we’re immediately locked in by what can be included, or what can be referenced in the model. It would have to be something that happened in the show. I could only do characters that ever appeared in that setting. So I think that also kind of contradicts the whole idea that this is the centrepiece; this celebrates NINJAGO as a franchise. So that’s why we went for this direction.”
There are no rumours at the moment of another LEGO NINJAGO City set for 2026, and with 71861 The Old Town weighing in at 4,851 pieces for £269.99 / $299.99 / €299.99, it’s difficult to imagine there’ll be space for one in the portfolio. But as 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops is now the only remaining set in the subtheme (71799 NINJAGO City Markets is retiring this year and has sold out), here’s to 2027 – schedule or no schedule…
71861 The Old Town debuts at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores on January 1, 2026. Check out our in-depth review of the set here.
Confirmed and rumoured LEGO NINJAGO 2026 sets
| LEGO set | Price | Pieces | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30723 Cole’s Car | $4.99 | 39 | January 2026 |
| 71849 Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner | £8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 49 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71850 Lloyd vs. Earth Monster Spinner | £8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 52 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack | £8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 85 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71853 Jay’s Dragon Mech Fight | £17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99 | 107 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71854 Cole’s Mission Mech | £24.99 / $29.99 / €34.99 | 364 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71855 Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle | £39.99 / $44.99 / €44.99 | 347 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71856 Jay’s Transforming Car | £44.99 / $54.99 / €49.99 | 387 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71857 Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle | £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 | 642 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71858 Four Weapons Blacksmith | £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 1,259 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71859 The Dragon of Life | £99.99 / $109.99 / €99.99 | 1,050 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71860 Lloyd’s Titan Mech | £119.99 / $129.99 / €129.99 | 1,293 | March 1, 2026 |
| 71861 The Old Town | £269.99 / $299.99 / €299.99 | 4,851 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71862 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71863 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71864 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71865 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71866 Ninja Character Display | £34.99 / $44.99 / €49.99 | 447 | January 1, 2026 |
| 71867 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71868 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71869 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71870 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71871 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
| 71872 TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC 2026 |
Head here for a complete round-up of LEGO 2026 sets.
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